Skid Row - In A Darkened Room (1991) Vinyl

Brash New Jersey-based rockers Skid Row were one of the very last metal outfits to hit the mainstream before grunge took over in the early 90's. While the band's self-titled debut employed standard pop-metal riffs and lyrics - albeit to great commercial success with the hits "18 And Life", "I Remember You", and "Youth Gone Wild".

1991's "Slave To The Grind" and 1995's "Subhuman Race" broke the mold with uncharacteristically hard, thrashy guitars and unique songwriting techniques. Fronted by charismatic vocalist Sebastian Bach, personal differences and changing trends eventually tore the core lineup apart by 1996, with Bach embarking on a successful Broadway and acting career.

The group soldiered on with a series of different frontmen, including Johnny Solinger, ex-TNT vocalist Tony Harnell, and former DragonForce singer ZP Theart, and continued to tour and release new material into the 2010's. In 2022, the band conscripted ex-H.E.A.T. vocalist Erik Gronwall, who showed off his impressive range on that year's rousing "The Gang's All Here".